So I had my last day at work and at the exit interview, the lady wanted me to sign a piece of paper saying I'd respect my employer's intellectual property. I asked her if I had to sign that agreement, and she said something about how when I signed on, I signed a paper saying I'd agree to sign a paper at the end of employment about intellectual property. I didn't quite believe her. Wouldn't it have made sense to have signed the paper up front when I was employed? Who would sign a paper agreeing to sign a paper? When I asked her to produce a copy of the agreement, she couldn't. She said it would take a few weeks to find it. If I don't remember this contract and they can't produce it, did I really have to sign? Is it a fair request in the US to see the contract outlining the terms before signing again? Something just seems so off.
1) Reveal the name of the company and/or type of activity you were involved with. 2) You may have to sign the paper in order to receive severance payment and other benefits. 3) The "agreement" may be unenforceable in a court of law.
Is there some kind of severance that you feel might hang in the balance if you don't sign? If not, eff 'em.
Nope, I'm not getting severance or anything. In fact, I owe them money. Have to pay back about $6000 in tuition reimbursement costs.
Think of it like they're the cops and you're a suspect in an interrogation room. They'll do whatever it takes to get you to sign a statement. Same thing here. Only sign what benefits you. That'll be COBRA, 401K stuff, etc. Don't sign anything else. Don't give them the password to your computer. It's a trap to give them more power and leverage over you later, if needed. This is their last shot at you so don't let them have it. Just politely refuse and give them back unsigned. They won't do anything.
That's what I'm worried about. How do I tell the federal government that it's not taxable income? And they claim I owe them for some vacation days too. When I asked her if I had to pay back the amount that wasn't withheld, she didn't know.
I hate the legal profession. Why don't these people ever have experts-exchange type web sites where you can ask basic questions and get answers? Is there such a web site? I'll pay $5 a month for a resource like that, because the legal questions pop up at least once or twice a year for me. I hate calling lawyers and scheduling consultations and then walking out with the fact that I can't rely on anything until I put down $300/hr. Seriously. The law should be designed so regular people can understand it. Fuck lawyers.
1) If you live in close vicinity to a law school, there may be a legal clinic on campus that dispenses advice. 2) There could be some type of non-profit legal clinic close to you that can help.